Website development is evolving at breakneck speed. What was trending in 2016 is not trendy anymore. Today, the focus is on the user, and companies are shifting gear to cater to every need and requirement of the website user.

We have tried to analyse and cover the biggest web development trends in 2017.

1. Artificial intelligence: It all started with Google and Facebook, and now, everyone else is jumping on the AI bandwagon. The simplest form of AI is face recognition, which we see on Facebook’s photo tagging feature. AI allows devices to think and behave as if they possess human intelligence. This translates to efficient, accurate and better systems which can work with the intelligence of a human being. AI deployed on web designs programs like The Grid allow even a newbie to create pretty decent websites. Their AI feature is called Molly. All you need to do is write the content, and then leave the rest to Molly.

2. Motion UI: The latest version of motion UI can take the user’s website experience from boring two-dimensional to an exciting new experience. With flexible CSS patterns with all kinds of JavaScript libraries, the new Motion UI allows seamless integration of animations into websites. This will enable developers to build truly intuitive and living websites which respond to user preferences.

3. Ruby on Rails: It’s been around since 2005, but made an impact with the 2016 release. Packed with features, it has become a firm favourite with web developers. It allows developers to enhance a website’s appearance while Ruby takes care of all the behind-the-scenes work.

4. Internet of Things: IoT is a familiar term today, with the internet moving from smartphones and laptops to your home appliances. IoT is all about making a smart home by connecting devices so that they can talk to each other. Soon, web developers will need to look at working on apps that control household appliances, so that people can have their kettle boiling and have their lights turned on when they get back home at the end of the day.

5. Static site generators: Static site generators allow you to make a site from text stored in files on your server rather than in databases. The content and templates are deployed more efficiently, thereby reducing load time and improving security.

6. Chatbots: It was predicted that “conversational commerce” will drive businesses on the web. It’s no more the old machine-like bots, but smarter chatbots with the capability of human-like conversations. Bots promise to make life easier with meaningful advice from numerous perspectives and use cases. They can boost your online sales, solve customer concerns and give help at the right time.

7. JavaScript: Since 2016, JavaScript has seen a steady rise in usage as it allows web developers to work on chatbots, virtual reality and more. JS has emerged as the most loved language for full stack developers as its grammar and efficiency have improved over time. The past year has seen the rise of TypeScript, a statically typed language that compiles to JavaScript. It allows you to use the JavaScript code currently in use, incorporate your JS libraries, and call TypeScript code from JavaScript.

8. Virtual reality: The market demands may bring in apps which are powered by Virtual Reality. VR is no longer associated with video games alone but will be soon seen on the web as well. VR will take user experience to a whole new level and will give companies a strong marketing edge on their websites.

9. Gifographics: GIFS have been in existence as the first computers themselves. Fast forward to the current scenario, infographics have become a popular medium to convey information and designers are trying their hand at animated infographics to engage the audience. Gifographics convey ideas without the need for lengthy explanations and make numbers and data fun and dynamic.

The year 2017 is all about fine-tuning the UI/UX of a website to make the whole experience simpler, easier and smarter. We have seen that the very purpose of a website is now focused on catering to user needs. Our advice is to understand the user and combine it with your creativity to make a winning website.

GMI has been at the forefront of the digital revolution for the past 16 years. Our expert teams of website designers and developers keep abreast of what’s trending and what’s not and know how to exploit and implement them for our clients. If you are looking at how you can take your website to the next level, to cater the needs of your visitors, talk to our super specialists today and give your website the revamp it needs